competitor INFORMATION

Welcome to The USDGC

Winthrop University and the city of Rock Hill are honored to once again host the USDGC. Preparations are well underway for what will be the 30th Major Championship at Winthrop. Along with tournament partners and staff, we look forward to providing you with a truly memorable tournament experience. If you need anything at all, please do not hesitate to let us know.”
Jonathan Poole
USDGC Co-Founder & Event Director

What is Changing for this year?

OPENING CEREMONY

All competitors are required to attend an abbreviated Opening Ceremony on Tuesday 10/5 at the award stage outside the Winthrop Shack. We will begin at 7:00 PM. Tee times for Wednesday’s opening round will be announced at that time.*

US Distance Championship

This year we will crown both an Open and Open Women’s US Distance Champion. The contest will be held on the Winthrop Golf Course next Thursday 10/7 from 12:00 PM until an hour or so after play concludes for the day. There is no charge to participate. Open Payout: $500 / $300 / $200. Open Women Payout: $500 / $300.

US Distance Showcase

The top 3 Open and top 2 Open Women finalists in the distance competition will be invited to participate in the Distance Showcase on Friday night, immediately after the round. Each competitor will have 5 attempts to clear Winthrop Lake from the award stage flight deck. This event will air live on the Disc Golf Network.

Big Arm. Big Heart

(Benefitting Throw Pink) - This event will take place immediately after the Closing Ceremony on Championship Saturday. All competitors, fans, and tournament staff will have an opportunity to throw from the award stage across the lake. A $10 donation to Throw Pink is required to take the stage.

Putting Contest

This year we will crown both an Open and Open Women’s US Putting Champion. The contest will be held in Championship Village (formerly the EDGE Village, behind Hole 7 tee) throughout each day of the tournament. The contest is open to all competitors, fans, and tournament staff. There is no charge to participate.
* Note: Should the weather not cooperate for the Opening Ceremony, we may opt to cancel. Should that happen, your Wednesday tee times will be made available online at usdgc.com, pdga.com, and udisc.com. We will collect tax information and payout preferences in the PDGA scoring trailer as the week goes along.

Other essential announcements:

Player Check-In will be at the Shack on TBD. If you are not able to attend, please let Chad or me know as soon as possible.
Anyone traveling with a competitor to the course each day is considered to be part of the athlete’s “bubble” and does NOT need a ticket. Anyone traveling separately is required to have a credential of some type.
Parking credentials for all competitors will be available after the Opening Ceremony and will be required to enter the lakefront area during the days of competition.
Champions of both events are required to attend a brief autograph session immediately following the Closing Ceremony. This is a benefit to our Gold Pass ticket holders.
Competitors are welcome to capture content for social media sharing, providing it is not used for commercial purposes and you are not interfering in any way with other competitors during their practice rounds.
Player Packs may be picked up in Championship Village beginning Wednesday, 10/6. There are two different shirts for you. We want to make sure everyone has the style and size that you like most.
There is a $2500 bounty for an ace on Hole 7 courtesy of LWS Tax & Accounting. If multiple aces are hit that bounty will be split evenly between competitors carding aces during the week.
Practice is NOT allowed on the Winthrop Arena Course before tournament rounds or until the last putt has dropped for the day.
If you have questions about the course, please review the Caddie Book. We will also be available to take course-related questions following the Opening Ceremony on Tuesday evening. There is also a comprehensive ground rules document available here.
Lost and found is located inside the PDGA Scoring Office. If you find a lost disc on the course, please be courteous to your fellow competitors and return it. We also have a designated staff who will be raking the lake for discs, all of which will be returned to you. Winthrop University does not allow anyone in the lake at any time unless approved by the University in advance.